Roman Moreau's crazy fun filled life

1

With a loud thud, the wheels of a carriage crashed against a tough road. Someone inside the carriage stirred from their sleep, grumbling to themselves. They sat up to pull away a curtain to check the view outside, taking in the sight of a city they hadn't seen in quite some time. London, a place full of both amazing possibilities and the darkest slums of the human race. The stranger looked out at the buildings glimmering in their silver moonlight mixed with the warmth of the lamp lights lit on the side walks. They closed the curtain again to keep privacy to themselves.
Admittedly, sneaking away to London was a makeshift plan for them, but in their current state they were out of options. All of this person's possessions were in a small bag sat down next to them in the carriage, and a few spare gold coins that rattled pitifully in their pocket. The carriage suddenly jolted to a stop, making them jump slightly. Outside, the coach called out for them to get out, and this strange person now stood alone on the streets of London. Looking around hastily, they dashed into an alley way and looked up the side of a back end of an Inn. Counting the rooms, their eyes fell on a particular window. The person shone with pride at being able to spot the right one, but now came the hard part.
Luckily, it was only the second floor. But still...this was going to take some effort.
The stranger made their way up the building, thankful for the blanket of dark in the night, and managed to fumble the window open. Thankfully this Inn was the cheapest of them all and didn't bother to keep them locked securely enough. As the stranger made their way into the room they planned their next moves. The room should be empty, and if they stayed there and waited for-
"What the hELL?"
Suddenly a clenched fist fell down on the strangers head and knocked him to the ground. Letting out a shout the stranger held up their arms in protection. Damnit, so the room WASN'T empty.
"Franc, FRANC! It's me!" They cried out, trying to push away the man they were calling out. The man's punches stopped and instead he reached to light a lamp, illuminating both of their faces.
They shared similar features. Hazel eyes, dark hair, even both of them had faint freckles if some one bothered to look at them close enough. The man, however, was much bigger, height wise and muscle wise. Meanwhile, the stranger was petite in all aspects of the other.
"Manon?" The man, Franc, asked in disbelief. The other person said nothing, but was soon grasped in a giant bear hug.
"Ah, what the hell are you doing Manon?! Scaring me like that?" Franc laughed a bit and held Manon tighter, making Manon themself try and escape the deathly hug.
"If you'll give me a minute to explain-" Manon muttered as they pushed themselves away. "I can tell you-"
"Wait. Manon, if you're here..."
Manon paused and looked at Franc. The joy was gone from his face, making them frown knowing that their brother was just now processing the full situation that was at hand.
"I got word of what Marcus did. And I-"
"Don't say anything, I don't even want to hear his name anymore." Manon snapped. The issue still felt like having a knife being stuck in the back and having someone twist it around over and over again. They shook it off, thinking of other things was more important right now.
"But...If you're here, who's with Marianne?"
The question left a silence in the room as Manon just stared at the floor boards. Not now or not ever would they be able to find the rights words to talk about Marianne.
"Does Marcus-"
"She got Tuberculosis. I'd left Marcus and had nothing on the streets. But she just kept getting worse no matter what I...I-" Manon heard the crack in their voice and the tremble in their hands grew stronger. They sat down on Franc's bed and clutched the bed sheets till their knuckles turned white. "I did everything I could and she still...she still couldn't..."
Manon felt Franc hug them again and this time they welcomed it. The tears feel heavily from their eyes and Manon could feel the shaking continue.
"You need a place to stay. That's why you came here?"
A nod.
"But why sneak through my window?"
"Marcus...is looking for me. I need to hide myself." Manon replied now, their voice finally gaining some strength.
"So is that why you cut your hair?" Franc asked, raising his hand to run through Manon's short, shaggy hair. Another nod.
"And what better way then to hide as a man?"
Franc stared at Manon in the dark with a raised eyebrow. He had no idea what his sibling had in mind to do. Manon wasn't very sure of their plan either, but some how...they'd find a way to make it work.
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